Pleading for mercy in the hour of affliction. CUT me not off, almighty Lord,
J But use the rod, and not the sword: Unneeded pain thou canst not give, Nor without cause thy children grieve. 2 Though sorrow break this wretched heart, And pain the soul and body part,
O suffer not my soul to be
One moment separate from thee.
3 And now, in kind compassion, show
What means this providential blow;
That here I may thy mercy see,
And all the good design'd forge.
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The Friend who conquers death.
THEN death before my sight
WHE
Appears in dire array,
Unequal to the dreadful fight,
My courage faints away.
2 How shall I meet this foe,
Whose frown my soul alarms!
Dark horror sits upon his brow,
And vict'ry waits his arms.
3 But with the eye of faith,
Piercing beyond the grave,
I see that Friend who conquers death,
Whose arm alone can save.
The husband and father awaiting death.
THOU faithful God of love,
Gladly I thy promise plead;
Waiting for my last remove,-
Hast'ning to the happy dead:
Lo! I cast on thee my care;
Breathe my latest breath in prayer.
2 Trusting in thy word alone, I to thee my children leave: Call my little ones thy own;
Give them all thy blessings, give:
Keep them while on earth they breathe
Save their souls from endless death.
3 Whom I to thy grace commend,
Into thy embraces take;
Be her sure, immortal Friend,
Save her, for my Saviour's sake:
Free from sin, from sorrow free,
Let my widow trust in thee.
4 Father of the fatherless,
Husband of the widow, prove;
Me and mine persist to bless;
Tell me we shall meet above: Seal the promise on my heart; Bid me then in peace depart.
For victory in the dying hour. THEN on the brink of death
My trembling soul shall stand, Waiting to pass that awful flood, Great God! at thy command;
2 When every scene of life Stands ready to depart;
And the last sigh that shakes the frame
Shall rend this bursting heart;-
3 Thou Source of joy supreme,
Whose arm alone can save,-
Dispel the darkness that surrounds
The entrance to the grave.
4 Lay thy supporting hand
Beneath my sinking head;
And with a ray of love divine
Illume my dying bed.
5 Leaning on Jesus' breast,
May I resign my breath;
And in his kind embraces lose
The bitterness of death.
THOU, whose wise, paternal love Hath brought my active vigour down, Thy choice I thankfully approve;
And, prostrate at thy gracious throne, I offer up my life's remains,
I choose the state my God ordains.
2 Cast as a broken vessel by,
Thy work I can no longer do;
Yet while a daily death I die,
Thy power I may in weakness show:
My patience may thy glory raise,-
My speechless wo proclaim thy praise.
1st P. M. 6 lines 88.
Aged and helpless.
N age and feebleness extreme,
feebleness worm redeem!
Jesus, my only hope thou art,-
Strength of my failing flesh and heart;
O, could I catch a smile from thee,
And drop into eternity!
HY mercy heard my infant prayer;
Thy love, with kind, paternal care,
Sustain'd my childish days:
Thy goodness watch'd my ripening youth,
And form'd my heart to love thy truth,
And fill'd my lips with praise.
2 And now, in age and grief, thy Name
Doth still my languid heart inflame,
And bow my falt'ring knee:
O, yet this bosom feels the fire;
This trembling hand and drooping lyre
Have yet a strain for thee!
3 Yes; broken, tuneless, still, O Lord,
This voice, transported, shall record
Thy goodness, tried so long;
Till, sinking slow, with calm decay,
Its feeble murmurs melt away
Into a seraph's song.
The aged disciple's prayer. FOREWARN lay this body down, OREWARN'D by my Redeemer's love,
But ere my soul from earth remove,
O may I put thine image on.
2 Saviour! thy meek and lowly mind
Be to thine aged servant given;
And glad I'll drop this tent, to find
My everlasting home in heaven.
5th P. M. 4 lines Ts.
The dying believer.
EATHLESS spirit, now arise;
Soar, thou native of the skies-
Pearl of price by Jesus bought,
To his glorious likeness wrought:-
2 Go to shine before the throne;
Deck the Mediator's crown;
Go, his triumphs to adorn;
Made for God, to God return.
3 Angels, joyful to attend,
Hov'ring round thy pillow bend;
Wait to catch the signal given,
And convey thee quick to heaven.
4 Burst thy shackles; drop thy clay;
Sweetly breathe thyself away;
Singing, to thy crown remove,
Swift of wing, and fired with love.
5 Shudder not to pass the stream:
Venture all thy care on Him-
Him, whose dying love and power
Still'd its tossing, hush'd its roar.
6 Safe is the expanded wave,-
Gentle as a summer's eve;
Not one object of his care
Ever suffer'd shipwreck there.
7 See the haven full in view;
Love divine shall bear thee through:
Trust to that propitious gale;
Weigh thine anchor, spread thy sail.
8 Saints in glory, perfect made,
Wait thy passage through the shade;
Swiftly to their wish be given;
Kindle higher joy in heaven.
The dying Christian to his soul.
7ITAL spark of heavenly flame,
Quit, O quit this mortal frame.
Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flying,
O the pain, the bliss of dying!
Cense, fond nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life.
2 Hark! they whisper: angels say,-
Sister spirit, come away!
-What is this absorbs me quite,-
Steals my senses, shuts my sight,-
Drowns my spirit, draws my breath!
Tell me, my soul, can this be death!
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